Aurora, IN —Today in Indiana History in 1877, Willis D. Gatch, inventor of the adjustable hospital bed, was born in Aurora. Gatch earned his degree from Indiana University in 1901, and graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1907, where he conceived of the hand-cranked bed.The “Gatch bed” reduced the rate of infection in patients by elevating their limbs. He returned to Indiana in 1912 and joined the faculty at the IU School of Medicine. He became dean of the school from 1931-1946 and started the first residency program recognized by the Board of Surgeons.
